Beneath The Moonlight
by PenelopeMoregan1
Summary: Persephany is a vampire hunter & a witch. Her parents were killed by the most notorious vampire alive. Now she wants revenge for what was taken unjustly from her. She never intended to fall in love...especially not with someone she knows she shouldn't.
1. Chapter 1

The cafeteria was alive with the excited chatter of the students. I had no idea what they were talking so excitedly about which was unusual because I always knew everything that happened at this school. I knew every student too. It was very rare when I had to actually ask someone what was going on.

I turned to the girl sitting next to me. "What's going on?" I asked just before the answer walked right into the lunch room. "Never mind. Thanks," I said and turned away to focus on the girl who had just entered the room. She was a pretty girl. Fair skin, blue eyes, dark hair. She was skinny, obviously not an athlete. She wore loose blue jeans with a hole in one knee and a baggy t-shirt. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she wore no make-up. I'd never seen her before and like I'd said, I knew everybody here at Pasadena High School.

I stood up and walked over to her just as she sat down with a group of freshman girls. They all gawked as soon as they saw me walking toward them. The probably weren't used to popular people coming up to them.

"Hi there," I said, talking to the new girl.

She looked up at me with that deer-in-the-headlights look. "H-Hi," she stammered.

"I'm Persephany Thorne," I said, extending my hand toward her.

She reluctantly shook it. The moment our skin touched a chill ran down my spine. "Jayde Marquez," she said, a slight smile forming on her lips.

I gave her a small smile until she turned to look at her newfound friends. That's when I saw it. Two small puncture wounds on neck, near her shoulder. It took all I had not to jerk my hand away and a lot of effort to keep my smile in place.

"Would you excuse me for a minute?" I asked and then walked away without waiting for her reply. I headed straight for the bathroom. "Out!" I ordered the two sophomore girls who were standing at the mirrors touching up their make-up. They took one look at me and rushed out.

Once alone, I took a deep breath and leaned over one of the sinks. I splashed water on my face and reluctantly looked in the mirror. My green eyes had slightly dark circles under them, barely noticeable from a distance. I ran my fingers through my dark chestnut hair and sighed. I pulled out my cell phone and was just about to dial my brother's number when the door opened nearly making me jump out of my skin.

It was Jayde.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," she said walking toward me. I took a step back and she stopped. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said. "I'm fine."

She took another reluctant step toward me and I took another step back which put me up against the far wall. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. Yeah, I'm sure."

She smiled. "Okay." She turned on her heels and left me alone.

When she was gone I dialed Kaige's number and waited impatiently for him to pick up. The phone rang five times before he answered.

"Yeah," he said by way of a greeting.

"We've got a problem," I said.

"I'm on my way." He hung up before I could say another word. Fifteen minutes later, I was called out of class to go to the office to go home. Kaige didn't say a word as we pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Where's Shayne?" I asked once on the road.

"At Aimee's," he said. Aimee was Shayne's new girlfriend of the week.

"How long do you think this one's going to last?"

"I gave him less than two weeks," he laughed.

"I give him less than that."

Kaige sobered up pretty quickly and I dropped the subject of my other brother's love life. "Are you sure it was a bite?"

I sighed, frustrated. "Yes. We've been hunting these things for how long now? I think I can tell the difference between a regular bug bite and this."

"Okay, okay. Chill, Seph. It was just a question. I mean, we haven't run in to any of them in what? Three months? And all of a sudden there's a new girl at your school with a bite on her neck. It doesn't make sense."

"Since when do vamps ever make sense?" I asked, crossing my arms and turning to stare out the window. "I bet you ten bucks she's someone's familiar," I said, glancing back at him.

He gave me a wry smile. "You're on."

"Hey Jayde, wait up!" I called after her in the hall the next morning before first period.

"Hi Persephany," she said, seeming genuinely happy to see me.

"Please, call me Seph."

"Okay. So what's up?"

"Um, I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"Not really. First period is about to start and if we don't get going, we're both going to be late."

I shrugged. "I'm always late. My teachers don't really care anymore."

She looked at me for a moment longer and then nodded. She followed me to the girls' bathroom. She went in before me so that I could block the door and her only exit. She didn't seem to notice what I was doing.

"What's this about?"

I sighed. There really was no easy way to do this, but it had to be done one way or another. "It's about what's on your neck." Yeah, Seph, that's the way. Freak the girl out, that'll make her spill the beans, I thought.

She lifted one eyebrow. "What?"

"I saw it yesterday. The bite," I said.

"It's a rattlesnake snake bite."

So that's what she was telling everyone because I know that I couldn't have been the only one who'd seen it. "You're lying to me, Jayde."

She shook her head. "No."

"Really. Where did you get that nasty looking bite then?"

"I was on vacation with my family. We were in Hawaii," she said.

"Why do you still insist on lying to me when I already know the truth? That, my dear, is _not_ a rattlesnake bite. You know how I know? Because rattlesnakes are poisonous snakes and poisonous snakes do not live in Hawaii. So why don't you tell me the truth, huh?" I stood there waiting, with my arms crossed.

She sighed and I knew I had won. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"It was a…um…it was a vampire," she whispered.

I didn't say anything. I just stood there quietly, waiting, hoping she would elaborate.

"You don't believe me do you?" she asked

"Yeah, I do. Now I want you to tell me who it was," I demanded.

She shook her head violently. "I-I can't."

"Tell me!"

"Raidyn. H-His name is R-Raidyn," she yelled.

I walked across the room and pushed her against the wall. "So help me God, if you are lying to me…" I didn't need to finish the threat. I could see in her pretty blue eyes that she was already terrified of me. I took a few steps back and took a deep breath. "Go to class and tell no one about this. This conversation never happened. You understand?"

She nodded rapidly. "Yeah." And then she took off out of there like a bat out of hell.

I was notorious for making—and following through with my threats. That's why nobody ever bothered to get on my bad side. And having two badass brothers ready to stand at your back and defend you and help you follow through with those threats wasn't too bad either. I hadn't meant to scare the poor girl but she'd given me the name of one of the most infamous vampires alive.

Raidyn would lead me—and my brothers—to the vamp we'd been hunting down since the day our parents died.

Raidyn would lead us to Blane.


	2. Chapter 2

I was used to the dirty looks I got from people when I passed them in the halls. I was used to hearing the whispers as I walked to my locker. It didn't really faze me anymore.

I walked to my locker, head held high, and pulled out the books I would need for my morning classes. I had just pulled out my English book when my locker door was pushed shut. A small smile formed on my lips when I looked into the deep brown eyes of one of the hottest guys I had ever met.

"Hey, beautiful," he said grinning. He was leaning up against the lockers with his arms crossed and looking as handsome as ever.

James Lazarus was the most gorgeous thing to ever walk on two feet. He was tall and had had shaggy black hair that fell over his deep, chocolate eyes. He worked out every day and had abs as hard as a rock. And for all his good looks, he could have any girl he wanted but he chose me. Hell, I could have any guy _I_ wanted. I mean, I had a body that most girls—even the cheerleaders—would kill for. I worked out every day, due in large part to the mini gym my brothers had built in our basement. I was voluptuous and had the best ass of any skinny girl here. My chestnut hair fell in waves down the middle of my back and my eyes were the color emeralds. I'm not conceited but I was the hottest girl at Pasadena High, and everyone knew it even if they would never admit it. Yeah, it was true any guy would be lucky to have me but I only wanted James.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Italy," I said, reopening my locker.

He shrugged. "I was."

"But?"

"Your brother called me. So naturally, I hopped on the first plane here," he said.

I slammed my locker door at that. "What?" I yelped. A few people passing by glared at us.

"He's worried that you might do something stupid. Like go after Blane by yourself."

I scoffed. "I wouldn't—"

"Yes, you would," he said cutting me off. "Seph, do you remember what happened the last time you went after him? You were almost killed."

"Yes, I remember very clearly."

He pulled me in for a hug and I let him. "I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry. I'm not going off on any suicide missions this time." I sighed. "Are Alana and Gregory with you?"

He tensed up and pulled away.

I groaned. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"They wouldn't let me come alone. You know how they are."

"I've got to get to class." I walked away. Well, I tried to walk away but James kept up with me easily. I guess when you ran five miles a day walking at a fast pace doesn't affect you much.

"I haven't seen you in six months and you're just going to walk away?" he asked.

"I have to get to class," I replied cryptically.

"Can we at least talk about this?"

I jerked out of his grip. "There's nothing to talk about," I growled. "You and Alana and Gregory abandoned me and my brothers when we—when I—needed you the most. I almost died, quite literally, when you three left. So there is nothing to talk about.

"Seph, I would never have left if I'd had any choice. Shayne told us to leave."

"Since when do you listen to anybody but yourself? God, James, I love you but I can't do it anymore. I never know when you're just going to up and leave again. These six months without you have been great. I've moved on."

He rested his hands on my shoulders. "Don't say that. I love you and only you."

I shrugged his hands away. "We're done. We were done the moment you made the decision to leave." Without another word I walked away and didn't look back.

I sat down at my usual lunch table and found that, despite my threat, Jayde was still sitting at the table as well. I also found that she wouldn't meet my eyes. She wouldn't even look in my general direction. I couldn't really blame her.

"Jayde?" I said over the roar of the other students.

She reluctantly looked at me. "What?"

"You want to come over today after school?" By now, everyone else at the table was looking back and forth between me and Jayde, but most were looking at me, astonished. I'd never invited anyone to come over to my house after school so naturally they were shocked that I would be asking the new girl of all people.

"Why would I want to come over after school?" She glared daggers at me with those sapphire eyes of hers.

"Because there's something I'd like to show you. It might be able to help with that snake bite," I said.

Her eyes widened. "Fine."

I gave her a tentative smile and she turned away. This is going to be fun, I thought sarcastically.

My phone started to vibrate suddenly. I glanced at it under the table and saw Shayne's number across the screen. I looked up to make sure that no teachers were around to take my phone up. Once satisfied that I wasn't going to get in trouble I answered it.

"What's up?" I said, scanning the room for any sign of authority figures.

"You need to get home. Now," Shayne said and hung up. I didn't hesitate. I snapped my phone shut and ran through the cafeteria. People glanced up as I passed by but I ignored them. They weren't important. What was important was my brother's phone call. Shayne rarely called me at school and when he did it was usually because something bad had happened. I prayed to God that it wasn't Kaige. I'd already lost both my parents. I didn't think I could handle losing one—or even both—my brothers.

I was just about to reach the front doors of the school when Principal Hitney stepped out of the front office.

"Ms. Thorne, where do you think you're going?" she said.

"I've got to go," I said. "It's an emergency."

"Emergency or not, I can't just let you walk out of school without one of your brothers here to sign you out," she said.

I groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry Mrs. Hitney, but I've got to go." Without waiting for her reply, I ran out of the building and ran all the way home. There wasn't time to catch a bus or hitch a ride. I didn't know what was going on and couldn't risk wasting time.

I burst through the front door of my house and found Shayne, Kaige, James, and Gregory sitting in the living room. They all had solemn looks on their faces.

"What is it?" I panted.

Shayne walked over to me and hugged me. I didn't hug him back; I just stood there, frozen, waiting for whatever news they were waiting to give me.

"What? What happened?" I repeated, pulling away from my eldest brother. Shayne's gray eyes bore into mine. "Shayne…what…?"

"Alana's dead."


	3. Chapter 3

_Alana's dead…Alana's dead…_

Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in my head. No, it couldn't be true. Alana was always so confident and so strong. She was my best friend. There wasn't any way she could be dead.

I shook my head. "No, not Alana. There's got to be some mistake." Please, God, let there be a mistake.

Shayne shook his head. "Gregory and James have already been down to identify the body. It looks as though Alana was murdered."

I couldn't breathe. I felt the tears sting my eyes and I didn't fight to hold them back. "H-H-How?"

"She was completely drained of blood," he said.

I nodded. That was to be expected. Hunting vampires was a dangerous job and every night that went by, we were all risking our lives. It was something we'd all accepted. It had just never been this real before. I never thought I would ever have to go on living while my best friend didn't. It just wasn't fair. But then again, I learned a long time ago that life wasn't fair.

I looked at the faces of the men that stood in my living room. Gregory's eyes were rimmed red from crying. James just stared at the floor and Kaige gazed out the window. Shayne stood next to me, ready to catch me in case I was going to collapse or something. But I didn't fall. I turned and ran. I ran out the front door and halfway down the street. I didn't know where I was going; I didn't really have any particular destination in mind. All I knew was I had to get out of there. I had to get away.

"Persephany!" James called as he ran out of the house after me. With him chasing me I pushed my legs to move faster. I pushed myself harder than I'd ever pushed myself before. "Persephany!"

"Leave me alone!" I screamed. I was crying again as I ran. I was just about to round the corner but didn't see the part of a tree branch lying across the sidewalk and I tripped. I put my hands out in front of me instinctively to protect myself from the fall.

James reached me then and tried to help me up. I kicked away. "Leave me alone," I cried. The boy didn't know how to listen. He grabbed me and held my arms against my sides. I struggled against him. Yes, he was a man and was stronger than me but that didn't mean that I was going to be that easy to subdue. I kicked him in the groin. He grunted but didn't let me go.

"Let me go now or I will freeze your balls off and you know I can do it," I threatened. He smiled and held my wrists together—away from his groin.

I kicked him in the groin again and then in the knee. He cried out in pain and his grip on me loosened just enough so I could get free. I tried to take off again but he grabbed my ankle pulled me back. He crawled on top of me and pinned my arms above my head.

"You need to calm the fuck down!" he yelled.

"Fucking let me go or I swear I'll kill you!"

He laughed. "There's the Persephany I know and love."

I shrieked and struggled against him.

"Now, now, I know you're upset about what's happened but—"

I pressed my lips against his, cutting him off. I don't know what got into me but I suddenly didn't want to hear him talk anymore. All I wanted was his lips against mine and the feel of his body against mine. He kissed me back and oh my goodness, it was amazing!

He pulled back, his breathing ragged. Neither of us said anything. He was lifted off me enough for me to squirm out from under him. He didn't fight me; he just stood up and took my hand. I dusted my butt off and wiped the now dried up tears from my eyes. We walked in silence back to the house, which was now empty. Shayne's car was gone and I could only assume that Kaige and Gregory had gone with Shayne wherever he'd gone.

I stormed past James and headed upstairs. I just wanted to be alone. James, however, didn't understand that. He followed me silently up the stairs. I stopped him just as he reached my bedroom door.

"You should go," I mumbled.

He took a step forward but I held my ground. "Why?"

I swallowed hard. Don't even think about it, Persephany, it's over between us, I scolded myself. "Because you just…you need to go." My voice was no more than a whisper and I hated that he still had this affect on me after six months.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. Do you really want me to go?" he breathed.

And I did. I stared into those deep brown eyes and couldn't look away. All coherent thought disappeared and all that was left in its wake was pure, unadulterated desire. I wanted him and I wanted him bad.

"I—" I never got to finish that sentence because just then his lips found mine and I was lost. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to the bed. I had to admit he felt good in my arms. His hands found their way under my shirt. I lifted up just enough so he could pull my shirt off before his strong, calloused hands glided down my sides. I shivered at his touch.

"If you want to stop, I'll stop," he said softly.

I shook my head. It was already too late. There was no turning back now.

He smiled and pulled his shirt off revealing his rock hard abs and chest. He looked like an angel in that moment. His lips found mine again and he pressed his hips against the most sensitive part of my body. I let out a soft moan and lifted my hips against his. I needed him and I needed him _now_.

In the midst of all the desire and passion the rest of our clothes disappeared and our bodies became one. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I wanted to lay in that bed with James forever. But like everything else, all good things must come to an end.

The sun had set when I looked out the window. The moon had taken her place and the stars filled the sky. James and I lay there, side by side, his arm around my waist. I could hear his quiet breathing which told me he was already asleep. I lay there for a while longer staring out the window before sleep overtook me.


	4. Chapter 4

I was awoken by a loud banging on my door. I opened my eyes and jumped out of bed like I was a freaking ninja. I was disoriented for a moment before I realized someone was knocking on my bedroom door.

"Alright, alright," I yelled. I wasn't worried about waking James, he was a heavy sleeper. I was sure that a tornado could blow through right now and he would sleep right through it. I grabbed my robe and pulled it on, tying the string around my waist before opening the door. Kaige was standing there in his boxers and loose t-shirt.

"This had better be good. You know I don't like waking up before ten A.M. on a Saturday," I grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said. "Some Jayde girl is downstairs. She said you invited her over yesterday."

I pushed past him and threw myself down the stairs. I'd completely forgotten that I'd asked her to come over so I could give her a proper apology when really I wanted my brothers to check her out. Hey, I wanted to win that ten dollars from Kaige. She was Raidyn's human familiar. I was sure of it.

Jayde was sitting on the sofa, back ram rod straight. The girl definitely didn't want to be here. "Jayde?"

She stood up as I entered the room. "I came by yesterday but nobody answered."

I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. "Yeah, sorry about that. There was an emergency." I walked toward her and held my hand out. She reluctantly took it and gave a shy smile. "Sleep," I commanded, pushing a little bit of magic from my arm into hers. Her eyes closed and I caught her just before she fell to the ground. I gently laid her on the sofa and went to find my Kaige and Shayne.

"Who is she?" Kaige said when I walked into the kitchen.

"Jayde," I said.

"The vampire's familiar?" Shayne asked.

I nodded. "She's sound asleep on the couch."

"What do you want us to do?" he said.

"I want Kaige to do his mind walk thing."

"Oh, no. I'm not going there again," Kaige said.

I sighed. "Look, it's just a small favor I need."

"Seph," Shayne breathed, "we all want to find Blane. You're not the only one who wants revenge. But this isn't the way to do it."

"Do you have any better ideas? She is our only lead right now. She could lead us to Raidyn and we could force Raidyn to Blane. We could put a stop to all this once and for all."

My brothers glance at each other and then back at me. "Fine," Kaige said. "But you owe me." He walked past me into the living room, Shayne on his heels. I stayed behind and put a pop tart in the toaster. I felt arms wrap around my waist a moment later and reacted instantly. I elbowed him in the gut then in the face. He fell back and lost his balance.

"Damn, Seph!" James exclaimed as his hand came away from his nose covered with blood.

I shrugged. It wasn't like I'd hurt him that badly. "You know better than to sneak up on me," I replied dryly.

"But did you have to give me a blood nose?" He stood, grabbed a paper towel and held his head back.

"Stop being such a baby. You've had worse," I said taking a bite of my pop tart. He took a step toward me and I stepped back.

"What's wrong? I thought that after last night…" his voice trailed off.

I shook my head. "Last night was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened." I turned away from him. Before he had a chance to argue, Shayne and Kaige walked back into the room. "Well?"

"She's definitely one of Raidyn's," Kaige said and glanced at Shayne. I knew that when he looked at my brother like that, he wasn't telling me everything.

"What else was there?" I asked.

Kaige shook his head. "Nothing."

"Don't pull that shit on me. I know you're keeping something from me and I demand to know what it is."

Shayne sighed before answering. "She was there…the night Alana was murdered."

I was storming out of the kitchen before he'd even finished speaking. I sauntered right up to Jayde and barely touched her arm. "Wake," I commanded and a moment later her sapphire eyes opened. She looked up at me, fear plain on her face.

"What…What happened?" she asked, confused. "How did I get on the couch? What did you do to me?" she was starting to panic.

"Three nights ago you were with Raidyn, correct?"

She glanced between the four of us standing in front of her before her eyes finally settled on me. "Yeah."

"There was a girl with him, a human girl?" I had a hold of her shoulders now and I was trying to fight the urge to shake the answers out of her.

"Yes, she was very pretty. Hazel eyes, long, red hair…that's all I remember. I swear!"

I let her go and turned back to the three guys standing behind me. "It sounds like Alana. But what was she doing with Raidyn? Where's Gregory?"

They all shook their heads.

"Well, we need to find him! He deserves to know what happened to her." When nobody moved I went to the front door. I snapped my fingers and a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt replaced my bathrobe. I threw the door open and was greeted by a dead body on our front porch. I took a closer look and my heart stopped.

"I think I just found him," I said. James and Kaige pushed past me. James checked for a pulse. He looked up at me and shook his head. "NO!" I screamed. "NO, NO, NO!"

"What is it?" Jayde asked, coming to stand in the door way. Her face paled when she saw Gregory's body.

What the hell was going on? First, Alana, and now Gregory. What was it the vampires wanted? That was the question we'd all be asking since the night our parents were murdered. But then again, it wasn't what the vampires wanted; it was what Blane wanted. And everyone knew what he wanted. He wanted the one thing he couldn't have.

He wanted me. And he was going to go after everyone that I cared about until he got me.


	5. Chapter 5

"Seph?" Shayne walked into the room. One of the police officers was right behind him. "Officer Alberict would like to talk to you."

I nodded and pulled the blanket tighter over my shoulders. James had called the police and they had came and taken Gregory away on a stretcher, in a body bag. It was on of the hardest things I had ever witnessed. I mean, I had fought a countless number of vampires, but none of that compared to watching them wheel away one of my good friends.

Officer Alberict cleared his throat and I turned my attention from the window to him. "Ms. Thorne, when was the last time you saw Gregory?"

"Yesterday. Shayne called me yesterday and told me to come home. Gregory was here when I got here along with everyone else."

"Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt him?"

I shook my head. "No, Greg was a good guy. He wasn't the kind of person to make enemies." He didn't make any _human_ enemies anyway, but the police would think I was crazy and probably lock me up in the loony bin if I'd told them about vampires.

"And what about Alana Sheldon? Anybody want to hurt her?"

"No." Nobody but the undead.

He closed his notepad and thanked me for my cooperation before leaving. Jayde came to sit beside me. "What are you people? Are you, like, in the mob or something?"

I gave her a sideways glance. "Or something," I said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you don't want to know what we are, so just drop it," I spat with venom lacing my voice. I was being unnecessarily rude but I was past the point of caring.

She stood up. "You don't have to be so mean." she stormed out of the house, shoving Kaige out of her way on the way out.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, plopping down on the sofa next to me.

"I say we go after the son of bitch tonight. We could follow Jayde to Raidyn's hideout and go from there," I said. I knew he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hunt vampires anymore, but at the same time he did. He hated them just as much as I did, maybe even more.

He sighed. "Okay."

"Really? You're not going to try to talk me out of this?" I stared at him in disbelief.

He nodded. "If I say no, I'll only be risking you going off on you own and getting yourself killed. Shayne and I promised Mom and Dad that we would look after you if anything ever happened to them. And that's a promise we intend to keep."

A light bulb went off inside my head as I put the pieces of the puzzle together. "So that's why you wanted to stop hunting vamps. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because even if we hadn't promised, we'd still do it anyway. You're our baby sister; we don't want to lose you." He smiled. He stood and started to leave. He turned around just before he went into the kitchen. "We're only going to get one shot at this. If anything goes wrong, you get the fuck out of here. You understand?"

"If anything goes wrong, I'll walk away," I said. It was a lie. It wouldn't matter if anything went wrong because I would keep fighting until either Blane or I was dead. That's just the way I was. And Kaige knew it. Both he and Shayne would die trying to protect me. I just hoped that there wouldn't be a reason for them to protect me tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun had set about an hour ago. I'd called Jayde and apologized for being such a bitch earlier. She'd quickly accepted my apology and invited me to party that Raidyn was throwing. I accepted the invite and she'd said she'd pick me up shortly after sunset.

"You are not going in there, Seph," Shayne said from the doorway. Kaige was sitting on my bed.

"Yes, I am. It's our only chance of finding him."

"But, Seph, I don't think you're ready for this," Kaige argued. "I know Mom and Dad trained us for this sort of thing and that you've been training everyday. Hell, you're probably the most dangerous one out of the three of us. But, after Mom and Dad, I just…I just don't think you're ready to face this."

I whirled around. "Don't try to back out now. You agreed that this could be our only shot. We're taking it." I turned back to my closet and tried to figure out what I should wear tonight. Hey, even a vampire hunter/witch has trouble with her wardrobe sometimes.

Finally I decided on a plain, black, tight, spaghetti strapped shirt, that hugged my curves in every way, making me look extra sexy and a purple and black plaid mini skirt with strappy black high heels. I straightened my dark hair so it feel way past the middle of my back. I lined my eyes with a thin line of black eye liner and added a touch of dark purple eye shadow. It was the best I had to work with and I made the best of it.

Jayde led the way down the block to an abandoned looking house. The windows were dark, no lights were on inside and if they were there were curtains over the windows to make the house empty. I followed her up to the door. I wasn't worried. My brothers were somewhere in the dark; they would be watching the house and my every movement…up until I entered the house.

She knocked. We waited.

The door opened and a tall, blonde, blue eyed vampire answered the door. I knew it was a vampire because her skin was as pale as the full moon that was out tonight and there was a thin red ring around the irises of her eyes.

"Well there you are!" the vamp exclaimed. "Raidyn was starting to think that you weren't going to show up. Who's your little friend?"

Jayde smiled. "This is-"

"Renee, Renee Young," I said interrupting here. I glanced at Jayde and hoped she wouldn't blow my cover.

"Right," she said. "This is my good friend Renee."

I sighed with relief when the blonde vampire girl stepped aside and let us pass. That was the easy part. The hard part would be getting close enough to Raidyn and getting him to give me the information I wanted.

The moment we were inside, Jayde went off somewhere and left me alone to fend for myself. It didn't bother me. I was, after all, a badass vampire hunter and could take care of myself. I walked down the hallway and up the stairs to the first floor. The house was a three story mansion, so there were a lot of places to look for the vampire I wanted.

Music was blaring through the entire house. I was never really a fan of techno dance music and this wasn't helping the case any. I walked into the first door I came to and found and empty room with a single bed against the far wall and one small window facing the street. I was about to leave but when I turned around I ran right into Raidyn.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The little witch has come out to play." He took one step into the room and I took one step back.

"Hello, Raidyn," I said. Just stay cool, calm, and collected and maybe, just maybe, you'll make it out alive, I thought. It didn't surprise me that he'd found me at the party this quickly.

He grinned and his gray eyes sparkled. "What are you doing here, Persephany?"

"You know why I'm here, Raidyn," I said.

He shook his head. "What I meant was: How did you find this?"

"That was all Jayde. She showed up at school; I saw the bite on her neck; she led me here. It wasn't really that hard to convince her to bring me along. You really should pick smarter girls to be your familiars," I said sarcastically. It wasn't really a good idea to be sarcastic with a vampire, but with my set of skills and with my witch powers that had been passed down through the generations in my family, we were pretty evenly matched. So, I wasn't scared.

He chuckled and that one sound sent shivers down my spine. I was suddenly cold and I knew that Raidyn was using his vampiric powers to lower the temperature in the room. I fought the urge to shiver. He would see it as a sort of weakness and I refused to let him use anything against me.

"I didn't know where Blane was three months ago. I still don't know where he is now. So I'm going to give you the option of walking out of here unharmed, or I we could fight and I could kill you right now. Which will it be?"

I let my magic course throughout my body and felt the balls of fire appear in my hands. "You could try, but it won't be easy. And if I'm going down, so is this place and all of your little vampires, including you. So I'm going to give _you_ the option of giving me the information I want or burning this place down to the ground."

"You realize that if you set this place on fire, you'll be killing yourself as well?"

I nodded. "I know. But it will be worth it just to see you and yours go up in flames. And my brothers will find and take care of Blane if I die. So I'm not too worried about it."

He took another step into the room but this time I held my ground. He stepped into my personal bubble so that I had to look up at him. "You would really sacrifice yourself?"

I nodded. "Yes, I would."

His face was serious and I was ready to fight before the next words left his mouth. "Bring it on, then."


	7. Chapter 7

He swung at me and because I was expecting it I barely had time to duck out of the way. I rolled away from him and threw one of my fireballs at him. He dodged it easily.

"Just tell me where he is!" I screamed as he lunged for me. With his super speed, I didn't have time to dodge his attack and he pinned me against the wall. He held my wrists and in one hand and held them above my head. He pressed his body against mine to keep me from moving too much.

"Don't make me kill you," he breathed.

"Why? Are you afraid?" I taunted.

He pressed his body closer against me. "I'm not afraid of anything," he growled. He was only inches away from my face and his breath smelled so sweet like candy with the subtle hint of blood, coppery and salty.

Before either of us knew what was happening I closed the short distance between us and kissed him. The moment our lips touched an electric current starting running throughout my body. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before. He stiffened for an instant then relaxed against my body and began kissing me back. His lips felt good against mine. He pressed me against the wall, lifting my feet off the floor. I moaned softly against his mouth and he growled in return. In that moment it didn't matter that I was a vampire hunter and he was a vampire. The only thing that mattered was the feel of his lips, his body, against mine.

He pulled back first, leaving me gasping for air. He let go of my wrists and stepped back. "You should go," he said, looking out the window toward the starry night sky.

I shook my head. I was one stubborn little girl. "Not until I get what I came for. I know you know where he is and I'm not leaving until you tell me."

"Persephany, I don't know where he is. I don't work under him anymore," he sighed.

He was lying; I could feel it. I conjured an athme in my hand and started toward him. It was a silver athame and vampires were allergic to silver, so to speak. I meant to plunge it into his shoulder and force him to give me the information-and if he wouldn't give me the information then I would just have to kill him-but he turned on me and had a knife of his own in his hand. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to react. He knocked the athame out of my hand and plunged his blade into my side, burying it to the hilt.

I cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground clching at my side. The floor disappeared from under me and I was vaguely aware that Raidyn was picking me up. I heard glass shatter and felt a stinging sensation in my arms. It was then that I realized that he'd thrown me out the window and I was now falling toward the ground. The fall wouldn't kill me but it would hurt…a lot.

My back hit the ground hard, knocking the breath right out of me. I was on the verge of passing out when Jayde came running out the front door and saw me there, broken and bloody, in the front yard.

"Oh my God! What happened?" She ran over to me and fell to her knees. Her hands hovered over my body like she wanted to help but was afraid to actually touch me.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out.

'"Persephany!" Kaige and Shayne yelled as they ran across the street. They pushed Jayde aside and hovered over me. Darkness was beginning to cloud my vision. I was losing way too much blood. If they didn't do something fast I was going to bleed out right then and there.

"Ok, Persephany," Kaige said. "We're going to lift you now. We have to get you to a hospital."

Yes, a hospital sounded good right about then. I couldn't exactly tell them that though; I was in so much pain. Kaige's arms slipped underneath my body and gently he lifted me off the ground. The slow movement hurt like a bitch and I let them know it. I cried out as the pain in my back shot through my entire body as well as the pain from the stab wound.

The walk to the car-apparently, they had driven and parked at the end of the street when I'd gone into the house-was pure agony. With every step that Kaige took, my body suffered. Pain shot through my body over and over and over. I wanted to pass out. I would have welcomed the darkness that threatened to take me over, but my brothers wouldn't let me close my eyes. Finally, we made it to the car and they slid me into the back seat. Shayne sat in the seat with my head in his lap.

"So…c-c-cold," I managed to gasp out when we started down the road. My eyes started to close but Shayne shook me gently to keep me awake.

"How much farther?" he asked and I could hear the panic in his voice. Shayne never panicked.

It was then that I realized that I was going to die. I was willing to sacrifice myself only as long as I knew that my brothers would find and kill Blane. But we didn't even know where Blane was. I was going to die for nothing. It wasn't fair.

"At least ten miles," Kaige replied. His voice was calm. He was trying to be brave even though he knew truth. I wasn't going to make it another ten miles.

This time when I started to drift off not even Shayne could keep me awake. I gratefully let the darkness suck me under.


	8. Chapter 8

The pain was gone. The bleeding had stopped. I thought for sure that I was in Heaven.

I stood in an open pasture covered with the most beautiful wild flowers I had ever seen. There wasn't a cloud in the crystal blue sky. I could hear the running water of a creek somewhere nearby. Yeah, this was most definitely Heaven. It was so beautiful and so peaceful; there was no way that I wasn't dead.

I looked down and saw that I was wearing a bright yellow, sunflower dress, which was odd because I never wore dresses and if I did they definitely wouldn't be yellow but for some reason I didn't mind in the least. It felt _right_. There was nothing but open sky for miles and miles. The sun shone down on the wild flowers, the wind blowing my hair around my bare shoulders. I felt bad for leaving my brothers but it was so tranquil here.

"Persephany?"

I whirled around at my name and saw my parents walking slowly toward me. My breath caught and I could do nothing but stare. My mother's short brown hair blew in the breeze, her bright green eyes glittering in the sunlight. My father had that lazy smile plastered on his face and tears filled his blue eyes as he saw me.

"Mama? Daddy?" I said, hesitant to run into their arms like I wanted too.

"Baby, what are you doin' here?" Mama asked. God, it was good to hear her Louisiana accent accent again

"I woke up here," I answered.

"Sweetheart, you don't belong here. It's time for you to wake up," Daddy said.

I shook my head. "But I don't want to wake up. I like it here," I protested.

"It doesn't look good," someone said. It wasn't my parents. It was a voice I didn't know. It was like it was coming from somewhere in the distance. "I would start to prepare for the worst," the voice continued.

"Wake up, Persephany. Wake up," my mother said. She was walking toward me and I was backing away.

"No, I'm not going to wake up, Mama," I whined.

"Wake up, honey," Daddy said.

I shook my head violently. "NO! No, no, no!" I screamed. I closed my eyes and wished that they would stop telling me to wake up. I willed them to stop and to my surprise, they did. I opened my eyes and they were gone.

"Please wake up, Seph," Kaige whispered solemnly.

Kaige? Kaige wasn't supposed to be in Heaven. So why was I hearing his voice?

Before I could make sense of anything, the bright meadow faded away. No, I don't want to go! But it was too late. The meadow was gone. My parents were gone. There was nothing but darkness now.

"Please wake up," Kaige said again and this time I heard the tears in his voice.

My eyes fluttered open. I was at the hospital with tubes hooked up to both my arms and an oxygen tube stuck up my nose. It seemed like everyone I knew was there. Both my brothers, James, and even Jayde was there. Kaige was sitting beside the bed holding my pale hand in his.

"Oh, thank God," he sighed.

"Wa…Wat…Water," I rasped out. My throat was so dry, it felt like sandpaper. He happily poured me a cup of water and held it to my lips so I could drink. I would have done it myself, but I was so weak that I could barely move my arms. He moved the cup away from my lips and I swallowed a few times. Much better, I thought.

James walked forward, taking my other hand. "What do you remember?" were the first words out of his mouth.

I opened my mouth to tell him to shut the fuck up and go to hell but no sound came out.

"What's your problem?" Shayne all but screamed at him. "She's just woken up and you want to start interrogating her? Just leave her alone."

"Don't start with me, Thorne," James said, the warning clear in his voice.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Shayne repeated.

"Stop it." That was Jayde. It was the first time she'd spoken. She sat in the corner of the room, as far from me as she could get in the small room. "Can't you see that you're upsetting her?"

Upsetting me? The weren't upsetting me. Arguing and fighting were normal for James and Shayne. It didn't bother me anymore because I knew that even though James was a skilled fighter, Shayne could kick his ass easily.

"Come here, Jayde," I said quietly. She looked at me with wide blue eyes but came forward reluctantly. She was so lucky that I was too weak to move right then because if I could have moved she would have been dead. "You were the bait."

"What?"

"You were the bait. Raidyn used you to lure me to that party so he could try and kill me."

She opened her mouth to protest but I cut her off. "Don't even think about lying to me little girl!"

"But that's not true," she whined.

"Shayne?" Like Kaige and I, Shayne had special abilities. Kaige could look into people's minds, I could conjure objects, and Shayne could tell if a person was lying with a single touch. And that's what he was doing now. All he did was touch her bare arm. His eyes-our mother's eyes-found mine. He nodded once and stepped away from her.

"Get out of here," I growled. "And tell Raidyn that I'm coming after him."

She didn't hesitate. She was already on her way out the door before I'd even finished speaking. Good. She should be afraid. She'd used me and I had been to damn blind to see it.

"Seph, you aren't in any condition to go after anybody. You almost died for God's sake," Kaige said sounding angry.

"I'm fine. Just get Jasmine over here and I'll be good as new," I argued. Jasmine had been a good friend of our mother's and when our parents died we'd remained close friends. She was a healer and a damn good one too. One mug of her special honeysuckle herbal tea and a little bit of rest and you would be right as rain.

Kaige shook his head. "No. I knew that you shouldn't have gone in there in the first place. I knew this would happen. I will not risk losing you again. That was just too damn close, Persephany."

"Fine," I said, suddenly fed up with everyone. "Get out."

Kaige looked like he was about to argue but finally he started toward the door. Shayne gave me a sympathetic look and followed his brother. James stood from the chair he'd pulled up to the bedside. He'd never let go of my hand. I gripped his hand and he sat back down.

"I want you to stay," I whispered.

He raised one eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I still love you," I said. "And I realized that no matter how much I try to pull myself away from you that we will never be over. I want you in my life, James Lazarus."

He half smiled. "I love you so much, Persephany Thorne." He leaned over and gently kissed my forehead. That seemed to be the only place on my body that wasn't hurting.

"But if you ever start interrogating me like that before I've had a chance to process things, I will not hesitate to tie you down to my bed, buck ass naked, put a Jacob's Ladder through your dick and pierce your balls together. Get it? Got it? Good." Hell I just might do that anyway-minus the piercing the balls together-just for my own satisfaction in the bedroom.

He laughed but didn't say anything because he knew that I would do it too. I was one to follow through with my threats no matter how big or small, I would _always_ follow through. That's just the kind of person I was and he knew it. "Fine," he said. He stood up again. "I'm gonna go and let you get some rest, okay?"

I nodded. "Bring Jasmine when you come back," I said as he walked out the door. "And don't tell my brothers!"

One way or the other I was going to go after Raidyn and this time he'd better make sure I'm dead because I won't stop until either he or I am dead.


	9. Chapter 9

It was two days later when Jasmine finally decided to grace me with her presence.

"Well it's about time!" I exclaimed when she walked into the room. Her long, layered black hair was pulled back into a loose pony tail and a few strands had managed to get free and frame her face. She wore blue jeans and a loose black shirt. She wore no make up—like usually—except for a little bit of light pink lipstick. She walked right up to the side of the bed and set to pulling a thermos and a mug out of her bag.

"I would have been here sooner but your moronic brothers called me and gave me the heads up about what was going on with you and told me to stay away and let you heal naturally. But, as usual, I wasn't going to listen to them." She poured the tea into the mug as she spoke the scent of honeysuckle filled the room and I inhaled deeply. She handed the mug to me. "Drink."

I drank. One sip and the warmth spread throughout my body. I could already feel the magic of the tea working, healing my wounds.

"Now, normally, I would have only brought you a mug because that's all that you usually need, but when Shayne told me exactly what had happened to you, I knew you needed more than a mug, so I brought you a thermos. Drink it all—but not all at once—and rest for about an hour after. You should feel good as new by tonight and be released tomorrow."

"Thank you," I said. Without another word, she turned and left. I rolled my eyes and drank my tea. I did exactly what she said—well almost exactly. I drank my tea, one mug after another, until the tea was gone. Once there was nothing more to drink, I closed my eyes to rest a little while. I only meant to rest for five minutes but when I woke up and glanced at the clock on the wall it was just after seven in the evening. I'd slept for nine hours. Damn, what did she put in that tea? Maybe she knew that I wouldn't rest afterwards so she made sure that I would. Damn her.

Apparently visiting hours weren't over because just as I was sitting up on the bed, my brothers walked in with James.

"Hey sis, how are you feeling?" Shayne said. He looked happy to see that I was feeling better…until he saw the thermos and mug on the bedside table. His smile fell. "Damn it, Persephany."

"Don't," I said.

"Did you call her?" That was Kaige.

"No, I didn't call her. She just showed up this morning. She made me drink the tea and I slept all day. I am 100% better now that I've rested."

Kaige snorted. "I bet."

I glanced at James and smiled. Kaige saw and turned to James. "Did you have something to do with this? And don't lie to me."

James sighed. "Yeah, I was the one that called Jasmine. I wasn't about to let Seph sit in this hospital for weeks while she got better. She deserves to go after the bastard that tried to kill her and the bastard that killed her parents."

"She isn't going after Raidyn because we—Shayne and I—forbid it," Kaige growled.

"You can't forbid her to do anything," James countered.

"Yes, I can. She is seventeen years old. She has her whole life—"

"Stop!" I yelled making everyone jump. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I looked at Kaige. "I'm not a child and you are not my father. So stop thinking you can tell me what to do and expecting me to do it."

"You're not going after him. I won't let you," Kaige said, acting like I hadn't spoken.

I rolled my eyes before glancing at Shayne, who hadn't said a single word since he'd arrived. "You agree with Kaige?" I asked.

His gray eyes bore into mine and he nodded.

"Get out," I demanded. It wasn't any use in arguing with either of them. They were too stubborn, just like me.

"Seph, try and understand—" Shayne began.

"Get out!"

The left. James followed them silently and I didn't stop him. No sooner had they left, the door opened again.

"I said go away," I sighed, closing my eyes in frustration.

"You wouldn't kick me out, would you?"

My eyes flew open. Raidyn stood at the foot of the bed. His long, black hair was pulled back into a pony tail at the nape of his neck. He wore a tight fitting black t-shirt that showed off his muscled arms and loose blue jeans.

I pushed the blanket aside and stepped out of bed but didn't approach him.

"I came to apologize," he said quietly.

"You tried to kill me," I said.

"Yes," he said. I waited for him to elaborate. He didn't.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's like I said. I wanted to apologize."

"Well you did. Now get out."

He walked toward me slowly. I stood my ground. I wasn't afraid of him. A small smile appeared on his face and he lifted a hand and placed it on my shoulder. It took all I had not to shrink away from his cool touch.

"Forgive me," he said.

"For what?"

"This. Sleep," he commanded. My eyes widened for an instant before I succumbed to the darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

I had a major headache when I woke up. I always hated it when my power to make others sleep was used against me. I always woke up with a headache. I rolled over to go back to sleep when the previous night came flooding back to me. I bolted upright and looked around. I was in a grand room on a king sized bed underneath silk sheets. The windows were covered with thick drapes so no sunlight could slip through.

I threw the covers aside and slipped off the bed. The first thing I realized was that I wasn't wearing the hospital gown anymore. In its place was a sheer white nightgown.

"What the hell?" I mumbled. Just then a loud knock sounded at the door, making me jump. I didn't move and whoever it was knocked again. I hesitantly walked toward the door. I didn't open it right away. Instead, I placed my ear against it to see if I could hear anything on the other side.

"I can hear you, you know," Raidyn said, sounding bored.

I jumped back from the door, clutching at my heart. I opened the door and produced a fireball in my hand. Raidyn stepped inside and locked the door behind him. I didn't waste any time. I threw the ball of fire at him as soon as the door was closed. It wasn't quick enough. He dodged it easily and the fireball hit the door, leaving behind scorch marks.

His hand was around my throat in a heartbeat. He squeezed, but not hard enough to crush my windpipe. I grabbed at his wrist but he wouldn't budge. "Don't do that again," he said. "Or I will bind your powers."

"Get your fucking hands off me," I rasped.

"Promise to be good?" he asked.

In response, I spat in his face. He growled and threw me across the room. I hit the wall hard and collapsed to the ground. I lay there, unmoving. Even after drinking Jasmine's tea and sleeping while my body healed, I still hadn't regained my full strength. He walked over and stared down at me.

"You try to kill me and then you kidnap me from the hospital. What do you want?" I said.

"_I_ don't want anything," he said. "It's Blane that wants you. You didn't really think that I actually went off on my own, did you? You see, I can't just go off on my own. Blane sired me. I have no choice but to obey his every wish."

I sat up slowly. "At least I'll get my chance at him," I mumbled.

"Yes, you'll get your chance, but not until after he's killed everyone you love and care about." He clapped his hands together. "And speaking of people you love and care about, I have a surprise for you." He walked to the door and opened it. I stood as quickly as I could and faced the door. He motioned to someone outside the door before stepping aside. Two figures stepped into the room then, dressed in cloaks, their faces hidden in the shadows of their hoods.

"I don't get it," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "What's the surprise?"

Almost simultaneously, the two newcomers pulled their hoods back, revealing their faces for the first time. I took a step back when I saw their faces.

I shook my head. "No, this can't be real," I muttered.

Raidyn stepped forward. "But it is, Persephany. It is real."

I stared past him and into the eyes of two of the people that I once loved. I stared into the light, sky blue eyes of Gregory, who only a few days ago had been grieving over the loss of the love of his life. But he didn't have to grieve any longer. Alana, with her light, hazel eyes and wicked smile, stood next to him. It was the first time I'd seen Alana since she left with Gregory and James over six months ago. Now they were one of _them_, a bloodsucking demon.

"Why did you target them?" I spat at Raidyn.

"I didn't. Blane did. Haven't you figured it out by now? He's going after everyone you're close to. He's going to make you suffer before he kills you and takes your powers." He laughed manically as he walked towards me. I didn't back up. I refused to back down from him. He grabbed my arms and pulled me close to his body. His skin was cool to the touch, his mouth only inches away.

He bent down and pressed his lips to mine. And it was just like before. The moment our lips touched, I melted against him. The fire that I'd felt the last time burned even stronger than before. It wasn't until that moment that I realized just how much I had liked our last kiss and just how much I had been longing for another. His hands pressed against my lower back, pressing me closer against his chiseled body. And like last time he pulled away too soon, leaving us both a little breathless.

"Mmm, you taste so good. Blane will definitely take his time with you," he whispered.

"Tell that murdering bastard to go to hell," I replied.

He chuckled and backed out of the room. Alana and Gregory followed him out, closing the door. I heard a faint clicking sound and knew that they were locking me in. But something struck me just as the lock clicked into place. I couldn't believe that Raidyn had forgotten.

I smiled to myself as I realized that Raidyn had forgotten to bind my powers. All it would take was a little bit of magic and I would be out of here in no time. Of course, I would most likely have to fight my way out at some point.

So I would rest and regain my full strength.

And then I would escape.


	11. Chapter 11

I opened the drapes. The sun was just starting to rise of the horizon. Of course, we'd be in the middle of nowhere. The house was surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. The house was huge too. I was on the third floor as far as I could tell. The window's had steel bars on them, probably enchanted so my magic wouldn't work on them. Actually, I knew they were enchanted because I'd tried to use my powers and it backfired sending me flying halfway across the room. Vamps really don't mess around.

Once the sun was high enough in the sky and I was sure that all vamps were tucked in safe in their coffins, I sent a little jolt through the lock on the door. To my surprise, it unlocked. I opened the door and poked my head out in the hall. Empty. I was just about to step out of the room when I thought: _Wait, this is too easy_. The vampires wouldn't have left me unguarded.

I took a chance. I opened the door wider and took a small step into the hall. Nothing happened. I took another step and another. Still nothing. As I moved slowly and cautiously down the corridor, I kept my eyes open for anyone waiting to ambush me. The vampires would be "asleep" at this time so I was positive that there would be humans standing guard around the mansion. There _had_ to be. But as I came to the end of the first corridor, there was nobody.

I took the stairs two, sometimes three at a time. I knew something wasn't right but that didn't stop me. I jumped the last few stairs when I got to the first floor and came to an abrupt halt. Standing just a few feet in front of me was Jayde with a huge grin on her flawless face, and her blonde hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders. She wore a strapless, yellow sundress.

"Hello, Persephany," she said sweetly.

"Jayde," I said.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Away," I replied. "And if you think you can stop me, think again," I said.

"We'll see," she said. She walked up to me, invading my personal space and grabbed my wrists.

An electric current was suddenly racing throughout my body. I couldn't move, couldn't push her away. It felt like hours had passed when I knew it was really only seconds. And then I was on the ground, gasping for breath.

"You underestimated me," she said, glaring down at me with those endless, blue eyes. "That was your first mistake. Your second mistake was thinking you could defeat me. Just because I am a vampire's familiar doesn't make me harmless."

My entire body was numb. I couldn't move and flip her off like I wanted too. I couldn't even speak and tell her to go fuck off. I could only lay there as she motioned to someone across the room. The floor disappeared from beneath me and my vision went a little hazy. I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes, I was, once again, in the same room, I'd woken up in before my attempted escape plan. But unlike last time, Raidyn was sitting in a dark corner, his grayish sliver eyes staring back at me. His skin almost glowed in the gently candlelight.

"There is a glass of water on the bedside table," he said. I slowly pushed myself up on the soft bed. I grabbed the glass of water and gulped it down.

He stood and walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "She wasn't supposed to be there," he said quietly. I didn't have to ask who she was.

Jayde.

"You were supposed to escape with no problem."

I had no idea what he was talking about. "I…I don't…understand."

"I did not _forget_ to bind your magic. I did not _forget_ to enchant the lock on the door."

"What are you talking about?"

He sighed in frustration. "Are you that dense? I was _letting you go_."

Whoa. I was not expecting that. I mean I kind of guessed that that was what he was getting at but I didn't think he would actually ever admit it to me. "Why?"

He shook his head. "All I know is that I…I feel a connection between us. I have since you kissed me that first time at that party in that abandoned house. There shouldn't be a connection. I should just want to kill you and move on. But I can't."

I felt the connection too. And he was right. There shouldn't be one between us. I was a vampire hunter and he was a vampire. There shouldn't be _anything_ between us. But it was there.

"But that doesn't explain why you were letting me escape," I said.

"You just don't get it, do you? It's not that I wouldn't kill you; it's that I _can't_ kill you. I…I care…about…you."

"You've got to be shitting me," I blurted out before I could stop myself. I then started to shake my head violently. "No, you can't possibly care for me."

He held his hand out to me. "Come with me," he said.

What the hell? What did I have to lose?

I threw the silk covers aside and took his hand. I felt weird after being electrocuted. "Remind me to kick Jayde's ass the next time I see her," I said.

He chuckled softly. It was like music to my ears. I decided I liked that sound. He held my hand and led me out of the room and down the three flights of stairs until we came to a sliding glass door. He opened the door and led me out into the forest. The moon was full and shown down upon us. Crickets were filling the night air with their songs and the flutter of an owl's wings could be heard somewhere in the distance.

"Where are you taking me?" I couldn't help but asked just as he pulled me into a small clearing. The mansion was no longer in view. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. Instead he turned and kissed me fiercely. His arms encircled my waist pulling me against his body. I moaned softly against his mouth and felt whatever connection was between us growing stronger.

I pushed him away suddenly. This wasn't right.

"There's something that I want to tell you," he said. "Persephany, I love you. I've loved you for a long time."

I shook my head. "No. I was raised to hate your kind. And then you killed my parents…This—us—can't happen."

"Why? Just because we're different doesn't mean anything. I'm tired of living the way everyone else wants me to live. I want to live how I want, feel what I want. You make me feel, Persephany. I haven't felt any sort of emotion in over fifty years since I was reborn. Just feel what _you_ want to feel."

I sighed. "I can't." I turned away from him and started to walk into the forest, away from the mansion. I hoped he wouldn't try to stop me, though a part of me wanted him to so very badly.

But in the end, he didn't have to. I stopped myself. I couldn't deny it. We had a connection, a strong one. And whatever that connection was, was strong enough to get me to turn back and run into his arms. The truth was I loved him too. I'd been denying how I felt, refusing to even acknowledge it. But I couldn't any longer. I would always love James—he was my first love—but the love I had for Raidyn was even stronger. But it was _wrong_. I'd been trained to fight and kill his kind and yet I couldn't bring myself to kill him like I should have. Something in me said that if I killed him, I would be killing a part of myself, too.

I saw the look on his face when I came running back. He was elated that I was choosing him, choosing to stay. That's when I realized he'd been thinking about the connection between us just as I had been.

"What is it?" I asked.

He blinked. "I just realized what the connection between us is. It's something that happens very rarely."

"I don't understand."

"Persephany—now this is probably going to sound really lame, but it's the best way that I can explain it, but we're soul mates. You're my other half."

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.


	12. Chapter 12

"No. No, no, no," I said, shaking my head and backing away from him. "We can't be soul mates because it is my duty in life to eradicate all vampires, or as many as I can. So, you see? We can't be soul mates. Either you have to kill me or I have to kill you. It's just the way things are."

"You can't tell me that you don't love me," he said.

Oh yes, I could tell him that, but it would be a lie. I opened my mouth to say as much when we were interrupted by an eerily calm voice.

"Good evening," Alana said. I could hear a slight smile in her voice. My back was turned to her so I couldn't see her face but I could imagine her hazel eyes were blazing with intensity.

Raidyn pulled me close and I tried to wiggle out of his grip. He didn't fight me and I whirled around to face her. She wore a strapless, silk, green gown that hugged her torso, accentuating her voluptuous body. It belled out slightly at her hips. Her long, auburn hair hung perfectly straight around her pallid shoulders. She had that wicked smile plastered on her lips.

"You shouldn't play with your food. It's not polite," she said.

"What do you want?" Raidyn growled.

"Blane wants to see you," she said. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on your little pet there." She laughed and the sound sent shivers down my spine.

Raidyn glared at Alana for a long moment before releasing me. He strode past her giving her a wide berth and disappeared behind the bushes.

"It's good to see you Persephany," Alana said once we were alone.

"Not really," I mumbled.

"You don't sound happy to see me."

"Is it that obvious?"

"I'm still the same person. I'm still your best friend," she said.

I shook my head. "No. You stopped being anything to me the moment your heart stopped beating."

She sighed. "You know, it's a shame I can't turn you. We could be like sisters."

"So why don't you?" I asked, an idea forming in my head.

She shrugged. "Because Blane wants you for himself."

I took a deep breath and couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth next. "Since you can't turn me, how about a taste? Nobody ever has to know about it." I kept my voice as steady as I could.

I saw her eyes widen at my suggestion. I knew she wanted too and badly. The question was: would she?

She took a step forward and another and another until she was standing only a few inches away. I brushed my hair back and pulled it over one shoulder, baring my neck to her. Raidyn hadn't bound my powers and I was thankful he didn't. I would only get one shot at this.

"Come on," I urged. "Just. One. Taste."

She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close. She bared her fangs and leaned down. She inhaled deeply before sinking her fangs deep into my throat. I'm not going to lie. It hurt like a mother fucker. She wasn't trying to make this easy.

The pain made it hard to concentrate. It made it hard to draw on my powers. I struggled against her but she only tightened her grip. I screamed, it hurt so much. I knew what I had to do.

I closed my eyes and fought against the pain. I drew on the magic that flowed through my veins. It wasn't the easiest thing to do but I did it. I imagined a silver knife forming in my hand. It had a solid black handle and was extremely sharp. I imagined it was real and suddenly it was. I felt the cool handle in my hand and squeezed. Now, when a vampire is sucking the life out of you and they're making it as painful as possible, it was kind of hard to move. I had to focus on moving my arm and only my arm. I would only get one shot at this.

I took a deep breath, tried not to scream, and swung my arm. I plunged the knife deep into her back, making sure I pierced her heart. She broke away from my neck and shrieked. She stumbled back, releasing me and fell to her knees. I collapsed to the ground and my hand automatically went up to the bite on my neck.

Alana's shrieks grew quieter and quieter until she was completely silent. She lay on the ground, face down, not moving, the knife sticking out of her back. I had to get out of here. It was only a matter of time before they came out to see what had just gone down.

I stood slowly. Once my vision stopped swimming, I ran. I felt woozy and still a little dizzy, but I ignored it and kept running past the hundreds of trees. I heard yelling behind me and it only made me push myself that much faster. Their voices were getting closer the faster I ran. I had no idea where I was so I had no idea where I was going. All I could do was keep running.

I was running one minute and the next I was being tackled to the ground.

"You think you could really escape me?" a hard voice growled in my ear. He grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled.

"AHH!" I screamed.

He pulled my hair again, baring my neck. There was a sharp sting and then more pain. He only took a little bit of blood but it was enough to make me feel lightheaded. I was going to die and there was nothing I could do and no one was around to stop it.

He pulled back suddenly and released me. "Take her back to her room. She'll be out cold until sunset tomorrow night. When she wakes up, you know what to do," he said to someone I couldn't see. The ground disappeared from underneath me and darkness consumed me once again.


	13. Chapter 13

I was really getting irritated about passing out and waking up in the same freaking room over and over again. It was getting old and fast. I sat up and my hand automatically went to my neck but I didn't feel anything. The marks were gone. The door swung open and Raidyn strode into the room, followed by Gregory. Raidyn stopped just inside the door but Gregory kept coming. He didn't miss a step as he grabbed my arm and literally pulled me off the bed.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, struggling against Gregory's grip.

Neither of them said anything as they continued down the corridor. I finally stopped struggling, realizing that it was a useless gesture. I let them lead me down the three flights of stairs; we didn't stop until we'd come to a solid black door at the end of the hall. Raidyn pushed open the door. Once inside, Gregory threw me to the ground.

"So nice of you to join us."

I looked up to see Blane standing against the far wall, arms crossed, a smile plastered on his face.

"Fuck you," I spat.

He chuckled. "Bring them in," he said to someone over my shoulder. I heard the door open again and two figures were thrown on the ground next to me.

"The Thorne Family, together again," Blane laughed.

"Let them go. It's me you want," I said.

"No, no, no," Blane said. "I don't want _you_. I want your family's magic. And the only way to do that is to take out your family, one by one, by seniority. You see, I killed Mommy and Daddy first, next is Kaige, then Shayne, and then you."

"There's no way you'll get our magic."

"Oh, but I've already got it," he said, that sinister smile mocking my every word. He looked toward my brothers and motioned for them to rise. They did. They looked down at me and that's when I saw it. The evil that had settled inside of their souls. They weren't human anymore. I don't know how I could have missed it; they must have used their newfound vampiric powers to make me believe they were still human.

"You've sold your souls to the devil," I whispered.

"You see, I killed them and took their powers, then brought them back. They've been working for me the entire time. Ever since Mommy and Daddy," Blane said, squatting down so that he was eye level with me. "They were easy and their magic adds to my power as it is, but you...you are a rarity all by yourself. A conjurer. The only one in the history of your family."

"Get away from me," I said murderously.

"I don't have to kill you, you know. In fact, you could be very useful to me," he mused. "Join me. Become immortal and keep your magic, or be the last of your line and your family's magic will be lost forever. The choice is yours."

I have to admit that the offer was very tempting. I'd already been through so much, but this was an easy out. I didn't want an easy out. I wanted Blane to pay for what he had done.

I laughed. "You killed my parents. You turned my best friends. You took away my brothers," I said. "There is no way in Hell, I would _ever_ join you."

"Very well," Blane said.

I closed my eyes and waited for Blane to strike.

"Wait!"

My eyes shot open at the sound of Raidyn's voice.

"What is the meaning of this?" Blane growled at the interruption.

"You can't kill her," Raidyn said.

"And why not?"

"She's my mate," Raidyn said after a short moment.

There was a brief moment of silence and then…

All hell broke loose.

Blane lunged at Raidyn. Kaige and Shayne followed suit. Soon every vampire was fighting another one of their kind. Vampires, by nature, were solitary hunters. It was very rarely when three or more lived together as group.

I stood up and moved to the corner. It was every vampire for himself and I was smack dab in the middle of it all. Raidyn and Blane were going at it and it looked like Blane was losing. Kaige and Shayne were fighting each other. In a split second, Shayne plunged his hand into Kaige's chest and pulled out his heart and crushed in his hands. Kaige fell to the ground. Dead as a doornail.

In the midst of all the chaos, I was able to draw on my magic and conjure a silver stake. It wasn't much, but vamps didn't really like silver. I gripped the stake in my hand and ran for Blane. He had Raidyn pinned to the ground. I was there, the stake ready to plunge into his back when Blane turned his gaze on me. His eyes had gone a deep, blood red. He grinned evilly at me and I stopped dead in my tracks. He backed up off of Raidyn and simply stared at me. Now, you have to realize that Blane is at least over one hundred years old, which would make him the most powerful vampire I've ever come up against.

I tried to lunge at him, but I couldn't move. It was like I was pushing against an invisible barrier that I couldn't break through. He never took his eyes off me. It was unnerving and I wanted to look away from his intense stare but he held my gaze. And when my hand started moving of its own accord, I couldn't stop that either. But I fought. I fought as hard as I could. But the silver stake still ended up pointed at my own chest.

"Say hello to Mommy and Daddy for me," he said before the stake pierced my skin and sank deep into my heart.


	14. Chapter 14

This was it. I knew I was going to die. There would be no one to save me this time.

The darkness was threatening to pull me under and I wanted to just give up and let it take me. But Raidyn wouldn't let me go.

"No! Stay with me, Seph. Please stay with me," he begged. He held me in his arms rocked me back and forth. I had no idea where Blane and the others had gone or why they left. "Don't die on me."

"You have to do it." That was Shayne.

"I can't," Raidyn said, voice trembling. "Not without her permission."

"_I'm_ giving you permission. Now, do it!" Shayne ordered.

I was so out of it that I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Not until Raidyn pushed my chin back, exposing my bare neck.

"N-No," I gasped.

He acted as if I hadn't spoken and sank his fangs into my skin. I didn't have the energy to fight him off and with the more blood he took, the weaker I grew.

"S-St…Stop," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Suddenly, his wrist was at my mouth. I felt something wet dripping onto my tongue. The darkness was pulling at me stronger than ever and I gave in. I let the darkness suck me under.

Then the pain started. My eyes shot open as a searing, burning pain started deep in my core. I felt something tug on my chest but that pain was quickly overtaken by the fire in my stomach. I screamed and writhed as the fire spread throughout my body. It felt like I was burning alive yet no flames licked at my skin. I was sure that I was in Hell because surely such pain couldn't exist in Heaven.

"What's happening to her?" Someone asked.

"Calm down. She's changing. She's going through the same pain you did; the same pain we _all_ did." Someone else answered.

It seemed like hours later when the fiery pain started ebb. The pain had started in my stomach and had made its way throughout my entire body. It was now leaving through my fingertips and the tips of my toes. It was a slow process but the pain was leaving.

I lay there, unmoving as the pain subsided completely. I opened my eyes and Raidyn's face came into view, his expression blank.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

I stared at him for a moment before answering. "Weird," I muttered. "What did you do?"

"I saved your life so you can kill Blane," he replied almost immediately.

I sat up slowly, glared at Shayne and Raidyn and then glanced around at the dead bodies that lay around the small room. Kaige was among them. I felt little remorse about what had happened to him. I didn't feel _anything_ toward Shayne about killing his own brother. In fact, I didn't feel anything toward him at all.

I let Raidyn help me stand. "Where's Blane?"

"You should feed first," Raidyn said.

"Where's Blane?" I repeated, ignoring him.

"I really think—"

"I am not going to ask again."

"Persephany, listen to Raidyn," Shayne said.

I glared at him. "You shut up and stay away from me." Without another word, I strode out of the room with Raidyn at my heels.

We found Blane in the garden, facing the woods, his back to us as we approached.

"Even as a vampire you're not powerful enough to kill me," he said without turning to look at me. Raidyn hung back as I continued to approach Blane.

"Why not? You did not bind my powers. And now my powers will be even stronger than they were when I was human," I said.

He chuckled. "But you didn't really know the full extent of your powers then, so what makes you so sure you know how to use them now?"

"Because I never got to use them on something I truly hate; I never go to use them on you," I said.

He turned and that smile was still plastered on his face. He was completely unfazed by my threats. I didn't expect him to react at all really.

He lunged at me and caught me around the throat. I yelled and pushed at him, but he was hundreds of years older than me which meant he was way stronger than me. He applied a slight pressure and knew he was going to crush my windpipe. It wouldn't kill me, but it would be extremely painful. I shoved at his shoulders and he only applied more pressure. I heard a loud crack and felt a pain I had never felt before. Being a vampire, I didn't need to breathe; it was just an uncomfortable feeling. I was already healing.

He let up a tiny bit and I took the opportunity to throw him a short distance away. I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I instinctively knew that dawn was coming.

"Persephany, we have to get out of here," Raidyn yelled.

I ignored him and drew on my magic. I conjured a bow and silver tipped arrows. I armed myself and shot arrow after arrow after arrow into Blane's body. But no matter how many I shot at him, he still kept on coming. I backed away but he was suddenly there. He pulled a bloody arrow out of his chest and shoved it into my side. I cried out in pain and collapsed. I had no idea why the silver was affecting me more than it was affecting Blane. But then it made sense since he was older and had had more time to grow immunity to silver.

The sun began to rise over the horizon. I tried to crawl away toward Raidyn; I had to get out of the rising sun. Blane grabbed my ankle and pulled me back. The sun was rising higher and higher. My skin began to smoke and I began to feel the same fire that I'd felt when being turned. The pain was almost unbearable.

Blane released my ankle and started screaming. I glanced back and saw that he was actually on fire. Being older had its downsides. One of which was burning to a crisp quicker than newborn vampires.

"Raidyn!" I called. No answer. I looked around but couldn't find him anywhere. The pain was getting worse and I feared that I would burst into flames at any moment. Blane's screams were growing quieter until finally I heard nothing but silence.

"Raidyn!" I croaked again.

"PERSEPHANY!"

That was not Raidyn's voice.

"Persephany." The voice was closer now. I couldn't move to acknowledge that I'd heard him. "Oh my, God, Persephany."

"James?" I mumbled. How did he find me and how the hell did he get here?

He slid his arms under me and the ground disappeared. I knew the instant I was out of the sun. But even I knew that I wouldn't heal from this.

"What happened to you?" James asked.

"She's a vampire," Raidyn said from the shadows.

"Why would you do this to her?"

"She was dying."

"She's dying now."

"Yes" was Raidyn's response.

"What can I do?"

"Nothing."

"There has to be something that I can do."

"James," I rasped.

"You're going to be okay. Everything is going to be ok," he said, voice trembling.

"Let me go," I whispered.

"Listen to her, James," Raidyn said gravely. He knew there was nothing that could be done. He was hurting just as much as James was, probably worse.

"I can't. I love her," James said and I could hear the tears in his voice.

"Then let me go," I said.

It was almost painless. I actually felt better than I had in a long time. I had no idea where I would end up but I had a feeling it would be somewhere nice. I closed my eyes and let my soul move on to a better place.


End file.
